PEREZ HILTON SUED BY PAPARAZZI
7:45 Tuesday, April 24, 2007
We hit Perez Hilton with a multi-million million dollar copyright lawsuit yesterday.
Five celebrity photo agencies - Splash, Bauer-Griffin, Flynet, INF and London Entertainment Pictures warned Perez last December that we could no longer accept his unlawful use of copyright pictures without payment or credit.
He and his lawyers have refused to pay up and refused to take down unlawfully obtained photos. They don't even have the decency to respond.
Most bloggers out there are decent, honest business people who understand the photographers need to earn an income and we thank all of you who do pay and credit and we are happy to supply you so you can entertain your readers.
But the time has come to show Perez he can no longer get rich off the back of other peoples' work.
News reports and some boasting from Perez put his income at over $800,000 a year from advertising revenue and his appearances on TV shows, TV programs etc.
He says he gets up to 4 million unique visitors a day. Yet he doesn't pay a cent to anyone whose material he uses to get fame and fortune.
The lawsuit alleges that Perez's success is a direct result of his theft of copyrighted photos and video.
Hilton has repeatedly refused agency demands to pay for photos, credit the photographers and remove the pictures when notified.
“Perez has achieved his fame and fortune by unlawfully taking and exploiting other people's work. Using someone else's only means of earning money to make yourself rich at their expense is most un-American,” said Gary Morgan, CEO of Splash News.
“Photographers work incredibly long hours quite often on a commission only basis to earn their living and Perez's illegal use of the photos devalues their pictures in the legitimate celebrity magazine, TV and online world.
“Most bloggers are law abiding paying customers. They have to pay for photos but Perez gets rich by refusing to pay for them. There is no question he is famous because of other peoples hard work. All the agencies have asked for all along is fair pay for a fair day's work.
The 99 page suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, CA.
It states that Lavandeira unlawfully publishes the agencies' copyright protected works on a daily basis without their consent, without paying, without crediting the agencies or the agencies photographers as creators of the images.
Chris Doherty, President of one of the plaintiff agencies, INF, said: “Perez Hilton is making a mockery of the copyright laws in this country and all over the world, and it is now time for the U.S. legal system to recognize this and put a stop to it.
“Lavandeira is becoming a household name, not to mention a very wealthy man, directly on the back of our labors and investment in gathering the news.
The suit alleges twenty five civil counts against Lavandeira and a number of unknown defendants including copyright infringement, unfair competition by misappropriation of hot news, and civil conspiracy under the laws of California and New York.
The agencies are requesting statutory damages of $150,000 for each of the infringements, totaling in excess of $7 million dollars, along with the costs of the lawsuit and the agencies' attorneys fees.
The agencies also request that any profits made by Lavandeira be seized by the court and that all of the copyright protected images be removed permanently from the perezhilton.com site.
Nicely put!
Dear Splash News,
Nobody gives a rat's a*!
Regards,
The Rest of the World
seriously who cares. it's not like it takes brains to take a picture. get over it. ya'll don't do anything to help the world except entertain bored college students like me
Good for you - it's about time someone does something about the money Perez makes when he does nothing but sit on his ass. Best of luck through the trial.
Go Spalsh!
Get Yours!
Yeah honestly...stupid! Perez's site is so much better than this one and it's just some damn photos people.
WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!
just some damn photos? This is how people make their living.
So is it ok when big business and oil companies say "its just some damn fish" when they pollute our rivers and oceans killing fish stocks and putting fisherman out of business?
nice logic
Perez is been nothing but a smug piece of crap. he knows what he's doing is wrong and doesn't care that he is taking other people's hard earned work.
im not a big of you guys but anyone that takes down perez is cool with me.
Perez Hilton needs to pay the photographers he steals from. Copyright laws were put in to place for a reason.
The problem in this world is that people think that they can just take what is not theirs.
I think his site is annoying and I hate how he draws on every picture.
All of these agencies should INSIST that all sites that they provide photos to do not link to PEREZ's site. If they support him you will not allow them to post your photos!
:D YES! YES!
It's about time you all jumped on board to stop Perez's fat ass from taking WHAT IS NOT HIS. I'm for one couldn't be happier!
Go get him! I can't stand him or his website.
WHO GIVES A SHIT! You are SLIMY Paparazzos stalking people for your pics...if anything YOU sould be paying the celebs to take their pictures. Get over it, he's more popular then you so deal with it!
Seems Splash have lost a major ally in their case. Splash teaming up with little companies to make things more scary.
The thing is - Perez Hilton obviously has accounts to the websites that are suing. Accounts which are approved from a sales rep right? So why did you give him an account - and why haven't you taken away his account.
I love how people call the paparazi scum yet they log on to this website every day.
Celebrity News is big business...and you all enjoy it. So get off your high horses people!
Perez needs to learn how to play by the rules and stop drinking all those fattening coffee drinks at the coffee bean where he sits on his ass all day long.
dont you think if perez had access to their sites they would have cut it off years ago?
what the hell kind of asinine observation is that?
I'll never come back here again, Just like x17. Didnt know about y'all till perez. Get a life. you just cant stand it b/c hes more popular than you! Oh I also need to go take you off my myspace.
Oh yes...I am sure Splash News is worried about a popularity contest Sherry.
and another thing...if you all "don't care" about this and these photographers...why are you making comments and reading their blog?
perez "fans" are the most retarded people in the world.
WHEN you're in the situation where some loser is making money stealing property and the work of yours THAT HE CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR, THEN maybe you can speak.
"All we care about is celebrity gossip and blahblahblahblah.."
stfu already and go back to perez's pitiful excuse for a "gossip"/SELF PROMOTION site..
please, with his "celeb sightings" of himself.
we're in your corner here, splash. perez needs to get off his tubby butt and start taking his own pictures!
hey!!!
he must for the photos.
but when he puts the pics on his website (even without paying for them)he supports the paparazzi industry that makes people want to buy and see magazines and sites like this ,that makes the paps keep their job.
perez makes paps be talked and important.
nobody talks about splash nor others celebs website.
this is just envy. a mortal sin
****
hey!!!
he must for the photos.
****
hey!!!
he must pay for the photos.
Funny Dino! Splash News was around long before Perez Hilton!
Could it be that Internet Law is NOT so clearly defined, and is still a bit wild west? Precedent will be set with each emerging court case...Copyright law in the domain of the internet must still have some vague areas?
About time! Go Splash!
I think its sad its come to this but why should he earn money from someone else's work? Its illogical. Why are paparazzi haters reading this and commenting? hyprocritics.
what a bunch of babies - get over it - wah wah wah you and x17 are the same whiny lil bitches - everyone steals everyone elses pics and E meter - it must be a popularity contest b/c these law suits didn't pop up until perez got very popular - and some babies got jealous - viva perez fo life!
hey everybody lets all go to gia's house and eat all the food in her fridge, use all her tampons, acne cleanser, and douche spray and for good measure lets take her car for spin and cruise for hookers in it.
she sounds like she is totally down with stealing.
I just can laugh at people who said "it's just pictures". There is a thing called Copyright, which allows or not others to use YOUR work and how you use it. What Perez does is like living in a place withouth paying for it. The least he could have done was to credit others.
Ah Gia....so much you have to learn. You have no idea what you are talking about darling.
lmaoooooo
all the perez lovers can spew their "who cares" and all that bullshit till the cows come home because it's pretty much a done deal as...
PEREZ IS GOING TO ****LOSE***** EVERY SINGLE, SOLITARY LAWSUIT.
hahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha
I hope as part as your lawsuit you look into his inflated 'hits' per day. He asks that you hit here if you are not easily offended, or hit here if you want to see this or it takes you two to three hits to get off one of his pages. He seems like he is counting these as 'unique hits'. This raises his ad rates, and pads his pockets. His he being honest by this, or is it fraud? Just asking.
Maybe his racist ass will become humbled, but that's like asking a pig to go on a diet.
if he post pics in his blog, it's because he has an account, don't you think ?
SO splashnews, find the account and that's all .
I am rusty with my HTML code...but there is a code Splash could attach to your photos and if someone tried to 'right click' them to take them (ie: Perez) it would give them a box saying whatever you told it to say like 'NO PHOTOS FOR PEREZ' and it wouldn't let them take the photos!
i would block your photos from being right clicked....that would stop most of your thieving right there...now i do know that people take your photos from other sites that might have paid for your pix, so you could require those sites to prevent right clicking too!
just an idea... :)
You all need to grow the FUCK up! If it weren't for Perez, I wouldn't have found you or X17 or so many others that I now go to several times a day...EVERY DAY!!
I know, that, in itself is more than a little sad, but it's my life.
If it weren't for Perez, the "blogosphere" would be a much different place.
Jeez, if I knew drawing cum (badly) on some celebrity's photo would bag me $800,000 a year, I'd be all over it!
His site sucks and he deserves whatever crap happens to him.
The only reason I know about you people if because of Perez, which means he does give you some credit and publicity. Stop being jealous of his success.
YEAH! FUCK U PEREZ!!!!
I'm so glad someone is finally suing his fat ass.
I'm beginning to worry that all of this is for publicity?
I'll believe it when I see it.
And if and when I do see it, I will probably send you a virtual high five.
All the supposed Perez fans posting here are probably him !!!!! Not only is he is thief and fraud ,he is a disgusting muck raking slime ball of filthy language and claims every male on planet earth is gay and embarks on relentless endless threads accusing the guy over and over and over.Someone should have him for that too.
He is an utterly disgusting a human and I am constantly surprised at how many mid class celebs actually allow him to be photographed with them of late.He is the worst scum bag I ever fell across on internet.
Seven million dollars? For using a couple dozen of your photos? Papz' photos are worth less now because of the Internet in general ... and the changing ways people get their 'fix.' To say that Perez specifically is to blame for your diminutive bottom line is short-sighted, and frankly, gives him a bit too much credit.
But it's true what people say ... they would have never heard of you or x17 if not for Perez linking to you or crediting your photos. You just can't emotionally handle the fact that millions more people will see 'your' hard work on his blog than they do your own.
stop picking on the little guy!! - get a life- take the money your paying the lawyers and make the pictures "Untakeable" on your site- so if people right click them to steal- than THEY CANT!! and if they have a name over top of it to copyright it- than people will know its not from perez!! NOBODY CARES!!!
FUCK YOU! i hope he bankrupts you dicks. the paparazzi is a plague on an uneducated nation. 'un-american to make money off the work of others'? i can think of nothing MORE american. i hope splashnews and its ilk die at the hands of bloggers. good fucking riddance
So wait lemme get this right.. You take pictures of someone without asking their permission and then whine when they use the pictures you took without asking?
I fail to see any real logic in this. This is why people usually have to sign wavers to have their face filmed.... nurrr.